Venus has a Lion's Soul
by Listening to trees
Summary: Life, love, friendship and the gridiron. The AU where being born female doesn't stop their rise in the world of Amefuto. [Warning for SPOILERS/ references to various parts of the manga]
1. Nothing In Common (Hiruma)

Genre: Sports, friendship, family, angst, mild fluff, passing mentions of romance

**Rating: PG-15 for swearing + minor psychological darkness in some chapters**

Beta: Shiary

**Cover art (****full-size, uncropped version)**: sethadmirer . deviantart dot com / art/Juumonji-Kuroki-and-Toganou-The-Ha-Ha-Sisters-422971973

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><p>.<p>

Before we start:

-**Sena will not be given his own chapter.** It's just, there are plenty of fem-Sena-centric stories out there already.

-**Some stories are interconnected. Some are not. **So even if a character is genderbended in one chapter, he may not be in another. Some chapters feature a handful of genderbended characters, in others there's only one.

-Will try to keep the defining elements of a genderbended character intact as much as I can. Still, **genderbending means mini-changes to canon events**. **So feel free to submit questions **regarding this AU! ;)

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><p>.<p>

1.** Nothing in Common **(Hiruma Youichi)

Youhi's birth name was Ayakazu, and she'd gun down anyone who'd dare utter it. Not that she had to. At present, the only living soul who had half the guts to do so was her fucking old man. Whom she wanted nothing to do with. Fuck him and fuck his loser ways, the way he just bowed and bended over when his bosses demoted him (_she had never hated the phrase "Moushiwake arimasen" before this_), never mind how fucking unfair that was and there was the data to prove it (_"TOU-SAN!" she screamed, and he turned away as if he could not hear her_), it and the fact one of them had practically molested Youhi's mother (_"_Please_," came the sob, and now she knew what Kaa-san sounded like, begging Tou-san_); if only he could've just gone to court, she would've–

That was in the past. She'd already cut all her ties with the spineless bastard. Now and here was the Christmas Bowl.

(_"I can't live with you anymore," said a woman to her husband, and there ended a precocious child's first dream._)

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><p>(Owari)<p>

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><p>AN:

-**Ayakazu **(亚夜和) = "that which is most peaceful after the night". Only, that peaceful night gave way to "demon princess" (**Youhi**/妖姬)…

- **Moushiwake arimasen**: a very formal expression of apology, addressed to superiors.

-Tou-san: father. Kaa-san: mother.


	2. To Be a Butterfly (Taki)

2. **To Be a Butterfly **(Taki Natsuhiko)

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><p>All her life, Yasuka had always been certain she was made for something. Ballet, modelling, swimming,<em> something<em>. Those people who rejected her simply hadn't recognized her talent yet.

So she would go far, far away, to the land of promises, to America. Where she would try American football, because everybody there loved that sport. Besides, it looked like fun, and she could master all things, easy-peasy! The world would raise itself a new star in no time.

Only, that alien earth broke her heart as well. And the answer turned out to be closer to home all along.

See?

She'd _told_ her lovely sister that everything would work itself out.

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><p>(Owari)<p>

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><p>AN:

-**Yasuka** (惠香) = 'the fragrance of blessing/ grace/ kindness'.

-As a girl, Taki _still _pirouettes around. With shorts underneath her skirt.

-Title inspired by Zhuangzi's 'butterfly dream'.


	3. Heart and Soul (Yukimitsu)

3. **Heart and Soul** (Yukimitsu Manabu)

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><p>Being the mild bookworm she was, Manabi had always gravitated naturally to the sidelines. Where she noted and watched. Watched the star athletes enjoy an easier time making friends, watched them carry themselves comfortably. The euphoria they experienced, winning together; the natural pride they had in belonging to something greater than themselves. And sometime between these instances of watching, she began to harbor a vague longing.<p>

Maybe she could try volleyball, or handball. She would saunter easily to the club rooms in her daydreams, and pick up a friend while filling in the forms. Savor surprised joy at unearthing her own talent, surrounded by her coach's praises and her teammate's encouragements. They might even win third or second place at a state-wide tournament.

Maybe, maybe.

Her mother always approved of her co-curricular involvement in her daydreams.

Never had Manabi considered joining Amefuto. The word itself meant 'rough', 'scary' and 'dirty'. Besides, in Japan it was, as far as she was aware, a guy's sport. Never mind that the founders of Deimon's Amefuto club were both women, because it was _Hiruma _and she tended to make her own rules. Though, Manabi thought, recalling their seasonal stats with an indescribable pang, bending reality seemed ultimately beyond the Demon.

Then she saw that slim, petite and definitely feminine body of Sena's just _go._

It was crazy. How did that much speed fit into such a small body? How could she not fear her large, fierce opponents? (Could I be like that?) Why was Manabi even tempted to throw herself into such danger?

(They did beat the Zokugaku Chameleons…)

(It was the _Zokugaku _Chameleons. _Zokugaku_.)

(Think: what other worse enemies might they have?)

That was it. All those hours of cram school must've finally addled her own brains.

For why else would she be signing the forms? Waste two hours waiting for her interview? Climb the Tokyo Tower, of all things, braving Hiruma's gunshots and horrible dog?

(Want want _want_)

By the time the adrenaline wore off, she'd collapsed in bed, contemplating her new double life. This eventually led to her biting the pillow, to muffle her hysterical giggles. Oh, her mother, her ladylike mother. She would go absolutely _ballistics_.

Despite the muscle cramps, that night was the sweetest sleep she'd had in weeks. It was also the kind of sleep she would grow accustomed to: the dreamless, heavy sleep of being pushed daily to her physical and mental limits. A sleep that needed her to fend off her mother's well-meaning suggestions–she'd never be able to lie to a doctor as convincingly –a sleep that occasionally ended with an imaginary trophy curving her fingers.

Being the cautious girl she was, Manabi was still seized by sporadic doubts, about pitting their half-female ensemble against all-male teams. But every time she looked at Sena, at Hiruma's daring craziness and Nagako's enthusiasm, she also wanted to believe.

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><p>(Owari)<p>

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><p>AN: '**Manabi**' is the feminine pronunciation for the same kanji as 'Manabu' (learning).


	4. No Island (Shin)

4. **No Island **(Shin Seijuurou)

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><p>Being a girl went a long way into making your strength and speed unappreciated. Split the wrong way in mitosis, and you were no longer talented. You were just rough, just <em>weird<em>. No shrugs indicating "Boys will be boys"; just endless sighs of "Why can't you _behave_, Sayaka?", frustrated teachers and failed piano lessons. The girls in your class stop playing with you; the boys either laugh or run at the sight of you. You learn to play Spillikins on your own.

You stop talking as you dress your cracked dolls. One grows quiet very fast when there is not much sense in saying things anymore.

You never told Sakuraba, but you had envied him the way he now thirsts to be you. How comfy he was being greeted, being noticed; the natural grace with which he could befriend even an antisocial oddball. It was he who gave you the courage to ask for the registration form. Without his height to lead the upperclassmen's eyes away, without his ease to calm you, you would never have played American football.

Shouji Gunpei's severe austerity also left you thankful. Had he showered you with praises and attention like your seniors did later, you would've been completely overwhelmed. Instead, he chose to accept what had once been abnormal as useful, and push you like he saw something greater in you. In the uproar and media storm that would follow, his matter-of-fact anticipation, complemented by Takami-senpai's and Wakana's balmy, mild kindness, was what comforted, boosted and stabilized you. Even, eventually, your teammates' enthusiasm and antics. The white and blue that belonged to you, that tied you there in the middle of that maelstrom; gave you a reason to face male enemies larger than yourself, again and again, until you grew certain that they would crumple beneath your strength, like the thousands of times you'd rehearsed before.

The journalists, whom you've grown accustomed to, always pay great emphasis to your humility. If only you had in your command the right words. You would've told them of how you still remembered, every other time you donned the uniform, all that you'd gained by climbing on their shoulders and open hands–of how you would become filled with a solemn gratitude.

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><p>(Owari)<p>

A/N:

-** Sayaka** (佐弥雅) = assisting to be more elegant.

- Title comes from the saying, "no man is an island", which means humans don't thrive when isolated from others.

- **Artwork** **of Sayaka's appearance**, as requested: sethadmirer . deviantart dot com /art /Shin-Seijuro-genderbent-The-Knight-Queen-439004393


	5. I've Known You Since Forever (Juumonji)

**5. I've Known You Since Forever **(Juumonji Kazuki)

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><p>Kazuko had been around the underground boxing rings for a while. "Ginzaru", they called her: few had been as agile, or adaptive in the application of their techniques. <em>Strong,<em> some whispered behind her back. _Just a woman, _scorned others. Kazuko would snort. So what if she was? Even if that made her smaller than many of her male peers, no opponent built less than a tank could take that many solid hits and not drop.

That was how she met Otohiro. Japan still hadn't that many female fighters, so their match had been set as a novelty of sorts. Word had it that her opponent was physically stronger than her, and it was no lie. Kazuko could instantly tell upon sight that those tan forearms and calves were denser.

Word also had it that she herself was faster. So, _really_, there was no saying who would win. Both predators sized each other up as they smiled sharply with adrenaline.

This was going to be fun.

True enough, they were evenly matched, blow by blow. The betting pool split 50-50 as the second match resolved, and tension mounted alongside the spectator's bloodthirsty roars. By the fifth time the bell sounded, no one could dispute that it had been one heck of a show, and or that Kazuko's victory had been a close call. In fact, so sated was the audience that (most) money changed hands without sighs or grumbles, and losers, as long as they hadn't staked too much, left flushed from the excitement.

Kazuko, however, had only eyes for the girl who sat panting at her opposite. From the moment Otohiro grinned and came forward to clasp her hand good-naturedly, she knew they were going to be friends.

(Imagine her delight the year after when they both got into Deimon.)

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><p>(Owari)<p>

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A/N:

-**Kazuko** (一心) = "one heart". If Juumonji's name had remained 'Kazuki', the kanji would've been 'single moon' (一月).

-**Otohiro** (乙优) = "maiden of excellence". Fem-Kuroki's first name.

-**Ginzaru** (银猿) = "silver macaque". Japanese macaques form matrilineal societies, with high-ranking females occupying stable, dominant roles. These primates are also noted for their intelligence.

The choice for Kazuko's title was also influenced by wuxia novelist Louis Cha's short story, "Sword of the Yue Maiden".

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Right, so how was this chapter? Was it too short? **Please review and tell me what you think.**


	6. Never Say Never (Musashi)

You know, guys, it'd be really nice to know if my stories have been IC, or how much you'd give it out of 5 or 10...

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**6. Never Say Never **(Takekura Gen/ Musashi)

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><p>Iwa, as it went without saying, had absolutely no interest in any sport. She was busy enough helping at the company as it is, thank you. If that wasn't problem enough, there was her inadvertent cultivation of a physique in the process that had her dad grumbling about their profession not being "a woman's work". Even though Iwa was the only kid he had, the only one who could help take over his business. Stubborn old man could be falling over on his face and letting the company go bankrupt first before he'd stop cursing his protests.<p>

Well, no harm in letting him vent off some steam. As long as she remained good at what she did and he didn't fish out a son from somewhere, she would keep her job–that was what mattered.

Alright, Hiruma was funny. Damn girl had a tongue on her that lived up to her devilish moniker. Didn't matter if she was an utter ass, or if you weren't sold, somehow she had _ways_ to tempt you, to make you listen. Most of all, she just didn't know when to _quit_. And wasn't it awfully lucky that Iwa admired that in a person?

Somehow, this was getting bad. Nowadays it was actually making her feel a little guilty to meet Nagako's shining, passionate sincerity in the eye. It was getting hard to give her too firm a "no".

….And _maybe_, just maybe, contemplating acceptance could no longer leave her bothered.

Maybe.

(So maybe, just maybe, her calves were already flexing, in her most private dreams, at the sound of a snap count.)

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><p>(Owari)<p>

A/N: **Iwa** (以和) = 'by means of/ in view of harmony'.


	7. Everything But (Agon)

(*checks no. of reviews, sighs) Well, at least I tried.

Special thanks to Luunyscarlet, School-Read-Sleep-Routine and beta Shiary-san for their feedback and support! :') And everyone else too, for reading.

Btw, we now have a **fem-Shin doodle** and **extra-info** about that particular 'verse here!: sethadmirer. deviantart dot com / art/ Shin-Seijuro-genderbent-The-Knight-Queen-439004393

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**7. Everything But **(Kongo Agon)

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><p>In the world of distinction, sex didn't matter. When God gave you talents, he fucking <em>gave<em> you talents.

Brains, brawn, beauty and status, you had to have it all. Or have nothing. Then you could just lie in the dust trailing behind the champions and weep.

Too bad, so sad. Some people were just meant to be trampled on, used and ruled.

That was why she was so annoyed by the blond trash and his worthless _friends._ Maggots who never realized, no matter how many times you bloodied and brutalised them, that they would _always_ be maggots. Especially that naïve, wimpy little chicken-geek he had brought along. Oh, how much fun she was going to have, teaching terror to a particularly speedy chunk of prey.

_Run, run, little mouse._

_So I may exert myself when I catch you._

She smiled.

Well. It would be the day of the competition soon enough. Until then, she had enough dates to entertain and distract herself-

(_So her twin brother with his dead eyes would be asleep when she reached home_)

-with plenty of fun and interesting places to go to-

(_and she would not need to watch him wear his limitations, with murder-inducing calm_)

-then she would step blithely onto the field, to destroy all worthless hopes-

_(So Unsui, sleepwalking in his despair, won't be so alone,) _

-after which she would resume her play, waiting on the next exciting kill.

_(because no one else deserved to dream if she could never again see his spark.)_

She tossed her head of perfect dreadlocks, heedless of the camera flashes and shouts. Here and now, only one pathetic figure existed in her mind and vision.

_Time for the slaughter._

(Time for the wake-up call.)

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><p>(Owari)<p>

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**A/N:**

-Fem-Agon's name = **Satsu** (幸続/the fortune continues). Coincidentally, that's how you pronounce the Japanese kanji for 'kill'.

-**How Kongo Satsu joined the Nagas**:

Shinryuuji has an affiliate girl's school in this AU. This is where Satsu enrolled, but her talent was such that they were willing to make an exception and allow her to join the all-male Nagas. So she shows up on Shinryuuji's school grounds only for matches and the occasional meeting/ practice. The boys were flustered at first–until they learned to fear her. (As for Ikkyu, he simply respects Satsu's skill too much to see anything else in her.)

-The part about her hair being ruined and having to wear a wig still happened. I feel sorrier for the dude responsible now. Amen.


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